The discovery or the identification/addressing of devices in a local network, e.g. telephones in a home network, is often a problem in the case of the dynamic assignment of address/identification information items, e.g. IP addresses (Internet Protocol), as a user of the network does not know the current IP address of the device and this can change after every new switch on/new connection to the network. In order to configure a device of this type via a website, e.g. by means of a browser-capable personal computer, the addressing is important and necessary, however.
Currently, there are in principle three known possibilities to solve this problem:                (I) The device has a display and can display its own IP address.        (II) The device makes its name, which is preferably of a symbolic nature, known at a server (DHCP server) by means of a request, the so-called DHCP request (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol), and the DHCP server then shares this name with a “Domain Name Server” of a “Domain Name System (DNS)” in the local network for realising a DNS service.        (III) The device supports a UPnP profile (Universal Plug and Play) and sends regular “broadcasts”. A personal computer for example is in the position to identify and address the device on the basis of these “broadcasts”.        
The possibilities specified are quite unsatisfactory for small devices, however, particularly those without a display, as solution (I) is already fundamentally discounted for devices without a display,
Solution (II) depends very strongly on the extent to which a gateway/router is suitable for supporting this service as an interface between the local network and the large area network, and
Solution (III) entails a not inconsiderable implementation outlay, in addition it is quite demanding in terms of memory resources and furthermore is also subject to licensing.